Women Injuries in Sports

Ever since the United States had entered the Roaring Twenties, leisure activities are still a popular way of spending time during the day. But instead of the traditional “just for fun” mindset, these activities’—mainly focused on sports such as football, soccer, basketball, etc—level of competition have gradually went up a notch, and so have the injury rates.

After comparing the injury risks and types between the two genders, study has shown that females tend to have more injuries, specifically the lower body, than males do. The regulations, game play, and competition for both men and women are equally the same. There’s nothing new or different in these rules that would increase the risk of women getting injured. But why is it that women have a much higher chance of tearing their ACL, spraining ankles, having shin splits, etc?

Puberty seems to be one of the main factors that give females a greater chance to have lower body injuries. Because once male and females go through puberty, both genders tend to go opposite directions; males begin to optain greater muscle mass and become stronger while most females gain fat which decreases their performance level. According to Dallas News, Dr. Keith Meister, the director of the Texas Metroplex Institute for Sports Medicine, says,

“The increase in testosterone levels creates more muscle mass for boys. The hormonal response in males in puberty is much more productive in developing the athletic body. Males and females are very similar in terms of athletic build up to the age of 8 or 9, and after that you start to see a separation because of the physical development. Testosterone is a better muscle builder than estrogen” (qtd. in George, par. 20).

Once a female goes through puberty, their menstrual cycle begins. Though when a female athlete is on her period, it doesn’t affect her performance on the field, but it does have an impact to her body. Scientists from the University of Melbourne say that “when women’s...